Lean Success Story

MassMEP Helps L-3 Henschel Stay in Ship Shape
Premiere Naval Communications Manufacturer Revitalizes their Design Review Process, Cuts Costs

L-3 Henschel has been the leading manufacturer of control, navigation and communications equipment for the US Navy and commercial maritime industries, providing systems that meet a wide range of military and commercial needs. Their Quality Assurance Program meets strict requirements of quality standards, and all products undergo a series of rigorous and environmental tests to ensure reliable performance.

In order to maintain their stellar reputation in the business and keep up with high demand for equipment, Vice President of Operations John Sewall wanted to make sure all employees were trained in their engineering design process. With a grant from the Massachusetts Workforce Training Fund, the company was able to team with the Massachusetts Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MassMEP) to implement the Time Wise® Principles of Lean.

“We wanted to eliminate waste from our production lines, streamline our process, and cut costs at the same time,” said Sewall. “The first step was to construct a value stream map, a tool that helped us lay out and manage our engineering design process, so we could identify and eliminate any real or potential design flaws in our operation.”

Further improvements include revising Henschel’s sales process. They found that customer supplied data could be structured in a manner to cut even more waste out of the design review process.

“We wanted to improve our total operation and reduce the amount of waste within our production process, all while delivering an error-free design to manufacturing,” said Sewall. “The MassMEP team really helped us produce some major results, and now each Lean training participant has the skill set needed to carry on through our Lean journey.”